For that brief moment when hasty New Yorkers stop in their tracks and turn into spectators fascinated by a group of break-dancing street performers, the Big Apple tastes a bit sweeter. It is this acrobatic art spawned from the Bronx that unites people around the globe with the joys of laughter, wonder and imagination among many others. For the fourth installment of House of Marley‘s video series highlighting its new Bluetooth speaker The Get Together, Brooklyn-based Director Harrison Boyce chose to look into the personalities of these talented dancers. “I wanted to find out if they really loved dance and the trains were their platform to share their talent with the world, or if they were hustlers using dance to make money, and I quickly found out that they have a deep love for dancing and that the money was secondary.” After checking out Boyce’s film, be sure to read through our full interview with the director below.

For more on House of Marley’s The Get Together Bluetooth speaker as well as how you could win your very own please visit here.

Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Harrison Boyce and I’m a director and photographer living in Brooklyn, New York.

How did you get into filmmaking?

It all started through BMX. I rode BMX throughout my whole childhood and ended up being a sponsored rider, then working as an art director for a company, as well as starting one of, if not the first BMX blogs called Defgrip. I was always filming and making videos with my friends, but it wasn’t until I started making short docs and creating content for Defgrip that I really started to get into film making. It was just a hobby for me at the time, but once I moved to New York, I started to get a lot more directing jobs and over the years have transitioned from working as a designer in the BMX world to a director focusing on fashion and commercial work.

What was the goal behind your video? What was your inspiration?

Living in New York I pretty much ride the subway every day and kept seeing these kids dancing in the trains. I had thought about doing a project about them, but it was only in the back of my head and I didn’t really have an outlet for it. So, once I started talking with Alldayeveryday about this project with House of Marley, it made perfect sense to put something together with the dancers for this project.

The goal behind the video for me was to find out who the kids were who were the first to start dancing on the trains and to showcase them as people. To share their personalities with the world and tell their story. I wanted to find out if they really loved dance and the trains were their platform to share their talent with the world, or if they were hustlers using dance to make money… and I quickly found out that they have a deep love for dancing and that the money was secondary.

What are you most excited about your relationship with House of Marley?

House of Marley has been incredible with this project because they just let me do my thing and supported my vision 100%. A lot of time brands can really get involved and almost take over the creative process, but the guys at House of Marley essentially laid down the foundation for a dream project and let me do my thing the whole way though with nothing but support. A perfect partnership.

When you were approached about the project, what was the direction given and then how did you approach your execution/interpretation?

Allday approached me, and I asked if I’d be interested in putting some ideas together around the idea of “getting together.” They really wanted to leave it up to the directors to bring ideas to the table, so it was really open as far as the creative goes.

I just worked on a few different ideas around the idea of “getting together” using music as the main ingredient that actually brought people together.

How influential has music been in your creative evolution?

Music has been a huge influence in my work and it really drives my creative process, especially in the edit. I grew up in a musical family and music has always been something that plays a part in anything I’m doing creatively. Specifically with film, music becomes such a big part of telling a story, creating emotions, and setting a flow and an arch… I like to work with the music first, building a foundation to edit on and everything else really falls into place if you have the right music or soundtrack.

Was there any issues with filming on the subway?

I wasn’t sure how it was going to be bringing a Red camera down there, but we didn’t have any problems at all. I’m pretty good with filming in random situations and can just roll with the flow and the Waffle Crew definitely knows the ins and outs of performing on the subways. We tried to keep moving and not stay in one spot too long and I think that definitely helped us not run into any problems.

You’ve worked on everything from commercial films to short films and fashion films – which of the projects would you say is your favorite to collaborate on?

I think my favorite thing is the fact that I’m able to work on so many different types of projects. To me it’s more about the people and the experiences I have making my work, than the specific type of genre I’m working in. I really like to learn about people, explore new places, and basically do anything I can to learn something new each day. So I feel super lucky that I’ve been able to work on so many diverse projects with such a broad range.

As a tribute to its newly released wireless speaker as well as the history of portable audio, House of Marley enlisted four filmmakers to create a video piece that could speak to the very essence of this speaker and its ability to bring people together. For this installment, New York-based director Sam Fleischner explores the impact of music on the life’s of those struggling to exist in the chaotic world of a concrete jungle. Not only does music provide a sense of serenity, but as it is depicted above, it allows people to forget their differences and join hands in celebrating the simpler joys of life. Check out Fleischner’s short film above and be sure to read through our full interview with the director below.

For more on House of Marley’s Get Together Bluetooth speaker as well as how you could win your very own please visit here.

Can you introduce yourself?

Sam Fleischner, film director.

How did you get into filmmaking?

Westerns, believe it or not.

What was the goal behind your video? What was your inspiration?

Try to do something fun with the potential of a portable speaker. Dancing is good for health.

How does House of Marley differ from other brands?

Well in terms of making commercials, they were a great combination of supportive and hands off. They were also generous with their product and let me give each of the dancers one of the speakers.

When you were approached about the project, what was the direction given and then how did you approach your execution/interpretation?

This was a lot of fun for me because I got to come to write the concept myself. Usually with these kinds of jobs, the creative comes to you already developed to some extent so it was fun to start with the seed. I had three very different ideas that we were all excited about but we settled in the “line”. This process really picked up steam when I got Cynsei Sohbet on board. We worked out the choreography and flow together. She is a great leader, or in this case, “Rasta-fairy”.

How influential has music been in your creative evolution?

Music is one of my pillars. For this project I worked with my friend Matt Werth at RVNG. He hooked me up with the hypnotic Secret Circuit track that drives the piece.

When you’re not working on big brand campaigns, what sort of passion projects do you like to work on?

How did you cast the subjects for this video? Each individual is so interesting because they don’t, at face value, look like they would be dancers yet they all have a strong motion and rhythm. Was that the intention?

Yea, that was part of the concept. Everyone’s got a groove in them but it can be hard to find sometimes.

Where was the filming done? It looks like an abandoned, really sterile bank or something.

It was filmed at Anthology Film Archives, which is sort of like a temple for experimental cinema, but originally the building was supposed to be a court house. They show some of the best film programs in the world there. I worked there as a projectionist when I first moved to NYC, so it was a really fun place to shoot.

When House of Marley recruited PSYOP to reinterpret Bob Marley’s ideals alongside the elegant Get Together Bluetooth Speaker, the character animator-turned-filmmaker looked to his love for dance hall videos and Japanese anime for inspiration. “For The Get Together I wanted to characterize the affect of music and how a good vibe can multiply from person to suddenly a whole block party.” Scored to Major Lazer’s “Watch Out For This (Bumaye),” Ding handed out the bamboo-constructed speaker and captured the infectious free spirit of Jamaica take hold of those around him. After checking out the short film above be sure to read through our full interview with the director below.

For more on House of Marley’s Get Together Bluetooth speaker as well as how you could win your very own please visit here.

Can you introduce yourself?

Hello, my name is Gerald Ding I am a Director at Psyop in New York and live in the Lower East Side with my wife and our French Bulldog, his name is Bob.

How did you get into filmmaking?

I started as a character animator and was so focussed on owning a series of shots as my part for a project. To me that was like my first chance at being a storyteller, but I wanted to tell the whole story in my own way and not just a piece of it.

What was the goal behind your video? What was your inspiration?

A lot of times in advertising when there’s a product, brands usually characterize what they’re selling and try to give it a personality. For The Get Together I wanted to characterize the affect of music and how a good vibe can multiply from from person to suddenly a whole block party. I really loved Dance Hall videos and Japanese Anime so I mashed them together this time.

How does House of Marley differ from other brands?

Almost every brand, especially in the beginning, tries to build content for what they’re selling while Marley House is built on the spirit of Bob Marley and Reggae music culture.

What are you most excited about your relationship with House of Marley?

I’m proud that I got to collaborate with Gabe and Tracey, friends I’ve known for years but never had a chance to work with, and on a project that visually encompasses many of my favorite things.

When you were approached about the project, what was the direction given and then how did you approach your execution/interpretation?

The creative brief was very open and trusting, they wanted to know how I’d interpret Bob Marley’s ideals without making him as the focus, and how do we portray one becoming many. I know that Psyop was in this mix since were known for a certain visual storytelling and look, but I wanted push this idea I’ve had going on in my head and see how it’d actually look like.

How influential has music been in your creative evolution?

I love the match cut style in Major Lazer’s Get Free video it’s awesome, so is the song to. When I imagined the 3 stories I wanted to show, nothing else seemed to work so perfectly as Major Lazer did, so we edited with “Watch Out For This (Bumaye)” and couldn’t imagine anything else.

How different is film directing from strictly animating?

It’s a different kind of trust when you’re working with your artists and crew but the storytelling aspect is the same to me. In film I’m collaborating with cinematographers and actors and other crew members that are going to give me a performance that may or may not turn out the way I saw it in my mind. It’s a different kind of collaboration that becomes something different or even better than I imagined it in the beginning. This could be the same for animation also but outcome is much more refined and honed in, basically each frame can be manipulated and I have complete control if there’s enough time